


we are our own coffins

by liesmith



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Other, Polyamory, i wrote this as vague as possible so you can read it as qpp or romantic, kids helping each other with sadness, pre game as in pre the year later, talk of mental illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 17:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4843718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liesmith/pseuds/liesmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>they help ease the year, like fire against cold bones</p>
            </blockquote>





	we are our own coffins

After they die, Josh isn’t the same. Not that anyone else really notices it, since they avoid him like the plague, considering it is their faults (and yeah, maybe Sam’s a little pissed and bitter, maybe Sam isn’t as level-headed as everyone pretends). But Chris, he comes to her after a rainy week in April, head lowered and furred hood pulled up over his head, glasses fogged from leaving cold rain to the warmth of the school library.

“He’s not… I think he’s taking too much of his medicine, Sam.”

“What?”

“Josh,” Chris sits next to her, huddled up tight in his jacket, “sorry. I’m just worried. He’s… not ok at all.”

“... None of us are.”

“Funny, ‘cause Jess and Mike are sucking face between classes. They seem pretty ok.”

“Chris, I didn’t mean it like that. I… Not them. I’m not including them.”

“Oh,” Chris exhales, pushes his hood back and rubs his cheek, looking a bit sheepish, “sorry. I just… you know.”

“I know. I’ll go see Josh tomorrow,” Sam sets a hand on Chris’ wrist, squeezes it gently and feels his pulse beneath her fingers. His heart’s pounding; she sympathizes with him. Sam’s not sure her heart beats been right since Hannah died, let alone anything else in her body. Sluggish, slow. Everything’s like she’s drowning, but nothing happens.

“Sam? Hey, Sam? You still there?”

“Oh… yeah, sorry, Chris. What did you say?”

“I said tomorrow is good. He gets out of class at 3, if he even goes tomorrow.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Sam taps her temple and smiles at Chris, that warm and easy smile people are used to, the one Sam’s forcing as she goes, but it eases him. Chris smiles back and turns his hand up, curls his cold fingers against Sam’s hand and squeezes. For a moment they sit like that before Chris realizes he’s _touching_ her and out of embarrassment, pulls away and laughs.

“See you, Sam.”

“Later, Chris.” 

* * *

 

He’s right.

Josh doesn’t even go to class. When Sam uses her key (Hannah’s key, Hannah gave her a key because Hannah loved her, and - no more. Sam can’t think about that anymore) and climbs the steps to Josh’s room, she can peek inside to see he’s curled on his bed. The room’s dark except for the glow of a laptop screen, half covered by a comforter. He looks warm; Sam’s a little envious. The rain has yet to let up.

She knocks and Josh jumps a mile.

“Sorry!”

“S… Sam?” He sounds rough. Sam gives him a smile through the bit of door open. Josh sits up, pushing the comforter down off his shoulders and giving her an apologetic smile, “what’re you doing here? Why didn’t you call or something?”

“C’mon, don’t you miss me just dropping by unannounced?” Sam smiles back, an actual genuine smile, and steps into his room. She steps around bottles and plates and is at least glad Josh is eating, though she’s not sure how often or how much. She drops her backpack by his desk and leaves her hat on it, walking over to his bed and sitting down next to him. Josh scoots over, makes the room for her, before pausing and lifting his blanket. She scoots under, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving his temple a kiss.

“Chris is worried.”

“... Figured he had something to do with this.”

“No, don’t be like that,” It’s her mom voice, all mild scolding, “I needed to get my ass over here eventually. It’s just… hard, too. For me.”

“I know.”

“But, I’m going to get this out of the way first. Take your medicine like it’s prescribed, Josh. Go to class,” Sam taps his nose after each command and then kisses the corner of his eye, “that’s all from Chris, so you can yell at him next time he’s over. Now, c’mon. What’re we watching?”

Josh opens his mouth a few times before shrugging and leaning against Sam, curling into her a bit as he shifts his laptop from the bed to his lap, pointing at something on the screen. “Look, Netflix has _Too Cute_ on. Want to watch puppies?”

“When do I not?”

“Touché, Sammy.”

She ends up spending the night, tangled limbs and buried under the comforter with Josh. 

* * *

 

Chris comes over the next day with an apology pizza. Josh still chews him out for not dealing with him directly, but takes the pizza and a kiss as an apology.

“I didn’t think Sam would say anything!”

“It’s Sam!”

“Exactly! It’s _Sam!_ ”

“Idiot,” Josh speaks around a mouthful of pizza, wiping the back of his mouth with his hand, “it’s _Sam_. You should know better. She’s got the mom voice, cochise.”

Chris is staring at him like he’s got ten heads and Josh frowns, looking annoyed. “What?”

“You haven’t called me cochise in months.”

“... Oh,” Josh’s voice is quiet, poking at the crust on his plate before giving a shrug, “... I don’t know. I don’t… feel as bad.”

“... Good,” Chris leans over, grabs Josh’s face with his dirty hands, squishing his cheeks as he peppers Josh’s face with kisses, “good! Good! Good!”

“Chris! Quit that!”

“Sam worked her magic! She’s the best!”

“You’re gonna b-break my face!”

Chris laughs at that and let’s go, touching their foreheads and giving a grin. “Hey, buddy. I love you, ok?”

“I don’t love you,” Josh mumbles, wiping his cheeks of pizza grease, “get out and leave your pizza here.”

“Never,” Chris rubs noses, because he can’t help himself now, and scoots to sit even closer against Josh, taking another slice of pizza, “you love me, right?”

“Unfortunately,” Josh murmurs, getting up to just set the pizza box on his desk before crawling back into his comforters, wiggling down to rest his head in Chris’ lap, “c’mon. Finish eating so we can watch something.”

“I can do both!”

“I’ll kill you if you drop crumbs on me.”

“... Right,” Chris laughed, a bit uneasy, managing to cram the rest of the pizza in his mouth. Wipes his hands on his shirt, like the good teenage boy he is, and wiggles to lay down a little, “ok, fire up the show, Josh.”

“Fire something up,” Josh mumbles, setting his laptop just right for both of them to see before turning a movie on. 

* * *

 

It becomes routine, like waking up and going to school or work.

They stop going every other day and instead end up piling on Josh’s bed almost every day, bless the huge luxury it is, tangled limbs and the glow of the screen. Josh dropped out a month ago with promises to return to film school, not like his parent’s really pay much attention, but Sam and Chris do. So he promises them he’ll go back in between soft kisses and warm hands, burrowed between them both.

Josh knows he doesn’t deserve either of them, but with a soft hand pushing his hair back and a warm one against his stomach, he loves them so much and, dare he say, feels better. Feels human.

He doesn’t have the cold in his heart anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> why bother fighting in the tags on tumblr when you can poly ship


End file.
